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Is Physics the Best Major for Pre-Law?

By Jim AustinMarch 10, 2010

It would seem so, if statistics (free download — pdf reader required) just published by the American Institute of Physics (AIP) are to be believed.

The AIP analysis reveals — unsurprisingly, to this former physicist — that physics majors scored 161.5, on average, on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) — higher than any other major. Math majors came in just a little lower, at 159.7. All of the six top-scoring majors were science related — assuming that you consider economics to be science-related. The highest-scoring non-science major is English, followed very closely by two more science fields, biology and then computer science. Pre-law, by the way, comes in a distant 12th of 13 majors, and criminal justice guards the rear.

Physicists also do very well on the MCAT — the Medical College Admissions Test — but they miss out on the top spot by a hair. The best scoring major on the MCATS is chemical engineering, followed by physics, electrical engineering, economics, neuroscience, and mathematics. Interestingly, English was again the highest-scoring non-science field, again ranking seventh (of 13).

What’s the lowest-scoring major on the MCSTs? “Premedical.”

An aside: When professional associations start telling you how good preparation in their field is for other careers, you can bet the job market in the field isn’t good.